Introducing Hostelitis, again
About 17 years ago, I first walked into Bhabha Bhavan in REC Surat and experienced unimaginable depression. Four years later, I walked out of Narmad Bhavan with a lump in my throat. Four years of my engineering hostel life had come to an end. Four years that encompassed emotions and experiences of a lifetime. Four years that are captured in perhaps four dozen episodes.
Comparisons are bound to arise, particularly when Hostelitis is preceded by a successful book on a similar topic by Chetan Bhagat and a popular movie version too! But, to be fair to Manish and his pals, this is not a new story. It was first told fifteen years ago, in a JAM column by the same name. It is a story that was told as events unfolded. It is a story that has been waiting to be told in a better format and perhaps, with the benefit of hindsight. This is my second attempt at resurrecting Hostelitis; my 2007-08 attempt stalled after about 5 episodes... I hope I can sustain the momentum in 2010.
I was asked, during the JAM days, if Manish was an autobiographical character. The answer is yes and no. There are some elements that are drawn from my own experiences, but a large part is an assimilation of a few other people at college. In fact, Manish, Swami, Thomas, all of them are real - it is just that you cannot map them to specific individuals. Every incident in this story has happened - the dialogues have been dramatized a bit, that's all.
I also apologize in advance for any discomfort that some of the incidents and / or words might cause you. One cannot wish away or whitewash the realities of hostel life; I would be doing the story a dis-service if I sanitized the language too much.
As I used to say during the JAM days, this is an evolving story that draws upon experiences of real life situations and people. Your feedback and your stories will help make this more realistic and inclusive.
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